Filipino Migrants and the Canadian Dream: Governing Mobility in a Fast-Food Chain

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Geraldina Polanco

Filipino Migrants and the Canadian Dream

Name: Filipino Migrants and the Canadian Dream
Price: 54.99 AUD
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ISBN: 9781487522209

Governing Mobility in a Fast-Food Chain

Geraldina Polanco

$54.99

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English

University of Toronto Press
18 February 2026

Migration, immigration & emigration; Globalization; Sociology

Filipino Migrants and the Canadian Dream explores the power of the Canadian dream and how this social imaginary is leveraged by various institutional actors across transnational networks to govern mobility and work in the bottom tiers of a globalized labour market. The book focuses specifically on the migration management and governance of skilled Filipino workers recruited for entry-level fast-food positions in Western Canada. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in both Western Canada and the Philippines, the book examines how migration institutions and social actors shape migrant aspirations, constructing cultural narratives of nations that influence people's decisions to migrate.

Using Tim Hortons

a beloved Canadian institution

as a case study, the book illustrates how the Canadian dream and its implied promises are harnessed (inadvertently) at different stages of the migration process to propel mobility or fulfil profit-driven goals. The analysis highlights how a range of actors

states, corporations, employers, recruiters, diaspora communities, and migrants themselves

contribute to the creation and circulation of these dreams. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that the social imaginary must be unpacked across global circuits, spaces, and scales to fully understand how temporary labour programs operate within the context of a neoliberal economy.

By: Geraldina Polanco
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 330g
ISBN: 9781487522209
ISBN 10: 1487522207
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 18 February 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Figures Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. The Institutions and Governance of Labour Migration 2. Tim Hortons and the Low-Skilled Stream 3. Beguiling and Brokering the “Great Filipino Worker” 4. Migrant Dreams and the Colonial Mentality 5. Harnessing Dreams to Manufacture Consent 6. The Institutional Resilience of National Dreams 7. A Global Infrastructure of Migrant Dreams 8. Reimagining a World Beyond Labour Migration Appendix: Infrastructure of Migration Map Notes References Index

Geraldina Polanco is an associate professor of sociology at McMaster University.